Meet Fresh — Restaurant in Temple City

Finally a location open in Temple City! Expect long lines during the weekends. Parking is not difficult to find.

Meet Fresh specializes in Taiwanese desserts - mainly their signature grass jelly with taro and sweet potato balls. I think what makes them stand out from other Taiwanese dessert places is their use of the brown sugar ice. When I first tried the dessert, I wasn't too crazy about seeing so much ice in the bowl and not enough creamer to make the bowl sweeter. But I found that the ice itself is already pretty sweet, so when you put it into your mouth, it melts automatically.

Iced Meet Fresh Signature: $6.80 and comes with herbal blended ice, herbal jelly, and taro and sweet potato balls. Definitely pretty simple for $6.80, but it's worth at least ONE try. I personally have ordered this dish maybe 3 times? I really like it although I wish it also came with boba. My friends have substituted the smaller taro/sweet potato balls in place of the bigger ones - it gives a different texture. I prefer the bigger ones, just because there's more of a chew when you're eating the dessert. Each bowl comes with one little creamer. It's a decent sized dessert - enough for 1 person if you're really into sweets or good to share with another. Grass jelly is usually presented in a thick slab, and you're able to break down the dessert into very tiny pieces or leave it in whole chunks - whatever you prefer.

Herbal Jelly Number 6: Also $6.80, this dessert comes with noodle jelly, boba, and grass jelly. So no taro/sweet potato balls. Noodle jelly is pretty much like the noodle boba that Tea Station serves. I liked this dish as well. Very similar to the signature in taste - just different consistency. Pretty sweet.

Mung Bean Tofu Pudding: $5.30 ordered this cold and to-go. For the price, the amount that they gave us was lacking. Very little mung bean! You can order your own tofu pudding at other stores for less than $5.30 where they give you a whole container. But the taste and sweetness was good. Sweeter than most people probably prefer.

Con: One of the biggest cons about Meet Fresh is definitely the lack of versatility as other reviewers have mentioned. I don't like that you can't customize the desserts to your liking unless you're willing to pay a few bucks more. When my friend substituted the mini taro balls in place of the bigger ones, she was told she couldn't do that - although in Irvine she was able to. Somehow she did get her way, but when we came back and asked for that again, we were told that it wouldn't be possible. I feel like because the desserts are already pre-set, it's hard for people to find combinations that they truly like without adding money. If they had one with boba and taro balls/sweet potato balls, etc. I would be super happy! -The prices are also pretty expensive. You're paying $5.30 for tofu pudding with one single ingredient. I feel like when you order the dessert to-go, the portion shrinks even more. -They're still getting their whole system in order - my order was sitting on top of the counter for awhile but my beeper was never called. When I went up to ask them if it was my order, the worker told me that it wasn't. I sat back down but couldn't help feeling like it WAS, so I went up to confirm again. Yea it was ... apparently the "beeper" system was messed up. She handed my tray to me without any apology - and it had been sitting there for awhile. -Drinks are also a bit pricey!

Pros: Lots of tables. People are in and out quickly.

tl;dr - I'm glad that Meet Fresh opened up in the SGV! Pretty convenient location with lots of parking if you're ever in the mood for some Taiwanese dessert. Expect lies to be hectic on weekends and Thursday/Friday nights, but it should die down soon. I would definitely recommend trying this place at least once - the Iced Signature is a good one or you can order other random desserts. I've been going too often, so I think I need to take a few weeks off...

I love Taiwanese dessert don't get me wrong. However Meet Fresh just for some reason doesn't tickle my fancy, especially this location **see my comment about customer service.

I highly recommend black ball over Meet Fresh as their ingredients at Blackball taste more fresh, and all the staff is 110% more committed to your order and are nicer to you.

Meet Fresh I'd rate a 3/5 for the food, grass jelly is soft, but doesn't compare to black ball. The flavors isn't 100% there either, its more bland and does not taste as ethnic to Taiwanese dessert in my book.

Now the customer service aspect is a 1/5 (if I can give negatives I would trust me); and clearly I am not the only one who is speaking out about the customer service aspect; or else this location wouldn't be the lowest rating location of all Meet Fresh A rude greeting upon ordering is a usual expected thing for more Chinese prominent eatery, however it does not make it okay. During the COVID pandemic, ordering is replaced with either online, of the mobile kiosk on either side of the counter. When I was going to ask a question, I was ignored every time when I tried to say something or wave to get the cashier's attention. There is about 6 staff in the middle drink/dessert making station (which is shared with the cashier station), yet I made eye contact with about 5 of them just for some reason never the cashier who is taking the order. Yet nobody tells the cashier, and she just continues to look down. There is about a line out the door with 15 people waiting-- 6 feet apart -- in this long line in the sun.

When I finally got the cashier's attention, I told them I was here for the healthcare worker special that isn't on the kiosk, and rudely, she then replied "that's a 40 minute wait at least, are you sure you want it?". She said it as if I was going to say no and walk away not ordering. Did she not realize I just spent 40 minutes outside in the sun lining up? If this is the type of greeting she is going to say the first time she sees me just to make it "less work for her" if I don't order, then consider this a challenge bc ... I am ordering.

I went back to my car, ready for an anticipated 40 minute wait, only to have my buzzer go off within 5 minutes.

Now this cashier is either trying to get everyone not to order the healthcare frontline staff special, or she just really don't want to take orders right now. Whatever her problem is, made the whole experience awful. The wait was already bad, but each time I come here, pandemic or not, my experience isn't really wholesome.

(and I been here quite a few times because its the center spot for all my friends to meet, but def not for the food or the service)

There is plenty of parking via plaza parking shared with...

Both my wife and I were very excited that there's a Meet Fresh close to us. Upon walking into the store, there was mass confusion. People were milling around the counter and throughout the seating area. It was very unorganized. There was a window facing the door, but not a person insight to talk to or to place an order. I looked behind the counter there were 4-5 people scrambling to make orders and not paying attention to what's happening on the other side of the counter. There were 3-4 computer monitors next to the order station, but they were turned off. After waiting a few minutes I looked to my left and saw several person placing an order at a kiosk. I got in line and placed my order, but the order ing process was very confusing. Finally I was able to place my order with the help of another patron. We sat down and waited for our number to be called, 23 minutes later I went up to the counter and told a young man that we haven't got our orders yet. His reply "Orders are taking up to 45 minutes to make, you need to wait." The reply was kurt and rude with no concern for the customers feeling. Finally after another 10 minutes my wife went to the counter and asked why the order wasn't ready and they gave her 2 bags of items. Without even a "sorry for the wait nor thank you for coming!!" WHERE'S THE CUSTOMER SERVICE???? On top of that we order to eat in and they gave it to us in to go containers. There was no way for us to mix the 2 containers into 1. I brought the 2 containers up to the counter and the same young man said "you're suppose to mix it together." That's obvious we're suppose to mix it together in the containers given "@#!$#?", but in such small containers???? After looking at me as if asking what else do you need? I said how about a bowl since we were suppose to eat it here. Reaction "OH!!!" I got my bowl.

The food is excellent, but with bad customer service how long will the business be able to survive?? The reason I gave it 3 stars is because, not a lot of ice was in the small togo container that we got. I went to the front counter and asked an elderly gentleman for more ice. He gave it to me "even though he said "we normally have to charge...